SOSC1510: Politics Through Film (Tentative Syllabus: Subject to Change)
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SOSC1510: Politics Through Film
(Tentative Syllabus: Subject to Change)
Jean (Ji Yeon) Hong
jyhong@ust.hk, hongjiyeon.com
Class time: Tuesday 13:30PM - 16:20PM
(Movie Showing Session - Monday 8:00PM)
Class location: Zoom (PMI: 489 093 3026)
Teaching Assistant: Ruilin Lai (ruilin.lai@connect.ust.hk)
Office Hours: arranged via email
Course Overview. This course targets students with no or little social science background. This
course examines world politics through the medium of film. Movies provide original and
interesting perspectives on how we view political, economic, social, and cultural issues. This
course will pair a film with a reading that provides social and political context. Class time is
devoted to movie reviewing and lectures. Separately, the instructor will provide a movie viewing
session. For all movies, we will explore the following questions: What does the film tell us about
politics and society? Are the stories in the film relevant today? What does the film teach you?
Does the film affect the way we view politics?
There are five main requirements for this course. First, students will attend ALL lectures on
time, and the attendance will be checked. Second, students will take a weekly quiz about the
film. Third, students will take the final exam on readings and lectures. Finally, students will
write a short (2-3 pages) "movie and politics" critique as a final report.
This course will require that you view films outside regular class time (Monday 8 PM) because
we will review the movies in class and use them to link the academic theories and analyses to
reality. If you cannot make this separate session, you will have to watch it on your own.
Requirements: Grades are based on the following criteria:
Attendance Check (10 percent of final grade): On-time attendance will be checked every
class. Students also need to turn the video on (background photo allowed) in the entire
class. ZOOM will automatically check the attendance throughout the class.
Film Quiz (40 percent of final grade): Students will take a weekly quiz right at the
beginning of the class. The quiz questions will be strictly on film content. The questions will
be easy if you watched the film, but difficult (or even random) if the student did not watch
the movie thoroughly and carefully in recent time. Reading the plot will not be enough. If
1you do not come on time, you may not be able to take the quiz as it will be open first 15
minutes of the class time. The password for quiz will be provided in class.
Final Exam on Readings and Lectures (30 percent of total grade): The final exam will be
on the academic contents from the lectures and readings.
Final Essay (20 percent of total grade): You need to choose a movie and analyze the
movie's political implications. 1000 words limitation. The grading criterion is the depth of
your political insight and analysis.
[Movie watching session: Monday 8 PM (until the movie ends)]
Every week, in the night before the class, the instructor or the TA will host a movie-watching
session where the students watch the film together (online) before the class. This session is
not mandatory. However, I highly recommend attending this session to be able to take the
in-class quiz and to follow the lecture and discussion. Any student who cannot make the
session should watch the movie by oneself before class. Please do not engage in any
behavior that violates the property rights protection rule during the session.
Class Policy [Serious Ones]
1. WATCH MOVIES BEFORE CLASS. The meaning of this entire class will depend on
whether you actually watch movies (thoroughly) before the class. If you cannot attend the
watching session, please watch it by yourself. (The instructor or the TA is not responsible
for individual watching.) If you watched it before, it is still highly recommended to watch
it again. You won't remember the details (necessary for answering quiz questions). All
these movies worth re-watching. Sometimes, watching a movie again allows the audience
to see deeper and think broader.
2. During the quiz, please put the cellphone away. Do not communicate with any of
your classmates. Do not consult with the internet. The answers are not there. The
exam time is short: Searching, communicating, or other methods will make you turn in
unfinished quiz.
3. Do not engage in any behavior that violates the property rights protection rule. For
instance, recording, screen shooting, or taking video during the film showing is strictly
prohibited. In the worst case, you may risk a legal charge.
4. If you cannot take these rules seriously, reconsider taking the class.
Course objectives and learning outcomes. Politics through Film course gives students an
opportunity to:
• Observe various political phenomenon around the world carefully and analytically
• Understand foundational theories in social science
• Analyze how institutions and history shape politics and public policy today
• Appreciate how movies reflect politics and its impacts on society
2• Indirectly experience the process in which individuals are affected by politics (often
unintentionally) and come to hold their political stance
Course Schedule. The scheduled movies are subject to change without prior notification.
Warnings. Please note that some of the movies we watch contain disturbing images, violence,
and bad language. If you are a freshman or younger than your cohorts, please consult with the
instructor.
The movies are not the best movies on the topic as three rules were applied in movie selection
1. No documentaries
2. No movie before your birth
3. Diversity rule in terms of country, gender of the main character, etc
Week 1. Introduction: Politics and Conflicting Values
What is politics? Why does it matter to us? What is political science? How does political
science research help us understand politics better?
Week 2. State and Power
Movie: The Lives of Others (2006) https://lbdiscover.ust.hk/bib/991009228189703412
Essential Reading:
Barbara Geddes, Joseph Wright and Erica Frantz. 2014. "Autocratic Breakdown
and Regime Transitions: A New Data Set," Perspectives on Politics, 12 (2) 313-
331.
Additional Movies: Hunger Games (2012-2015), Pan's Labyrinth (2005), Snowpiercer
(2013), The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015), Attorney (2014)
Additional Readings: Adam Day et al. When dictators fall, United Nations University
Week 3. Democratization
Movie: No (2012)
Essential Reading: Larry Diamond's lecture on "What is Democracy?"
Additional Movies: Goodbye Lenin (2003), 1987: When the day comes (2018), No
(2012), A Taxi Driver (2017)
Additional Readings: B. De Cleen "Populism and Nationalism,” Oxford Handbook of
Populism, 2017.
Week 4. Presidency, Congress, and Constitution
Movie: Lincoln (2012) 2:30 https://lbdiscover.ust.hk/bib/991009528919703412
3Essential Readings: James Madison, Federalist Papers No. 47 “The Particular Structure
of the New Government and the Distribution of Power Among Its Different Parts”
Additional Movies: JFK (1991); Nixon (1995); Seven Days in May (1964); Dr.
Strangelove (1964); Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)
Additional Readings: Moe, Terry M., and Michael Caldwell. "The Institutional
Foundations of Democratic Government: A Comparison of Presidential and
Parliamentary Systems." Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics (JITE)
150, no. 1 (1994): 171-95
Week 5. Election and Campaign
Movie: The Ides of March (2011) https://lbdiscover.ust.hk/bib/991009460789703412
Essential Reading:
Ronald Inglehart and Pippa Norris. 2017. Trump and the Populist Authoritarian
Parties: The Silent Revolution in Reverse. Perspectives on Politics 15(2): 443-
454.
Additional Movies: Bulworth; Election; Game Change; The War Room; The Manchurian
Candidate; Primary Colors
Additional Readings: C. Ingraham “somebody-just-put-a-price-tag-on-the-2016-election-
its-a-doozy/”
Week 6. Universal Suffrage and Civil Rights
Movie: Selma (2014) 2:08 https://lbdiscover.ust.hk/bib/991009605539703412
Essential Reading:
Adam Przeworski. 2009. “Conquered or Granted? A History of Suffrage
Extensions” British Journal of Political Science 39(2) 291-321.
Additional Movies: Ghosts of Mississippi (1996); Malcolm X (1992); Mississippi
Burning (1988); Erin Brockovich (2000); The Life of David Gale (2003);
Suffragettes (2015)
Additional Readings: Why You Should Care That Selma Gets LBJ Wrong vs.
Why “Selma” Is More Than Fair to L.B.J.
Week 7. Discrimination and Racism
Movie: Green Book (2018)
Essential Reading:
The History of Racism in America by Smithsonian Magazine (read the comments
too)
4Additional Movies: Gran Torino (2008), Crash (2004), Green Mile (1999), Hidden
Figures (2016), The Help (2011)
Additional Readings: 26 simple charts to show friends and family who aren't convinced
racism is still a problem in America
Ibram Kendi “Is This the Beginning of the End of American Racism?”
Week 8. Media
Movie: The Post (2017)
Essential Reading:
Allcott, Hunt, and Matthew Gentzkow. 2017. "Social Media and Fake News in
the 2016 Election." Journal of Economic Perspectives, 31 (2): 211-36.
Additional Movies: Wag the Dog (1997)
https://lbdiscover.ust.hk/bib/991009138709703412
Additional Readings:
Shepard, Geoff (2013), “The Watergate Cover Up Trial: Justice Denied,” The
Atlantic, Online August 9.
Week 9. Corruption and Lobbying
Movie: Leviathan (2014) 2:20
Essential Reading:
Daniel Treisman. 2000. The causes of corruption: a cross-national study,
Journal of Public Economics, 76(3):399-457.
Additional Movies: Bowling for Columbine (2002); Fed up (2014); Thank You For
Smoking (2005);
Additional Readings: “25 Corruption Scandals That Shook The World”
Week 10. Civil Conflict
Movie: American Sniper (2015) 2:13 https://lbdiscover.ust.hk/bib/991009605139703412
Essential Reading:
Robert A. Pape. 2003. “The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism,” American
Political Science Review 97(3), 343-361.
Additional Movies: Blood Diamond (2006); Hotel Rwanda (2004); Lone Survivor
(2013); Taegukgi (2004); 集结号 (2008); No Man’s Land (Bosnia-Herzegovina
2001); Munich (2005); Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Additional Readings: James Fearon and David Laitin. 2003. “Ethnicity, Insurgency, and
Civil War.” American Political Science Review 97(1): 75-90.
5Week 11. Terrorism and Human Rights
Movie: Unthinkable (2010)
Essential Reading: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
“Human Rights, Terrorism, and Counter-terrorism”
Additional Movies: Munich (2005); World Trade Center (2006); Zero Dark Thirty
(2012)
Additional Readings: Julie Mertus &Tazreena Sajjad, 2008, “Human Rights and Human
Insecurity: The Contributions of US Counterterrorism,” Journal of Human Rights
7(1): 2-24.
Week 12. Poverty (and Refugee)
Movie: Capernaum (2018)
Essential Reading:
Esses, V.M., Hamilton, L.K. and Gaucher, D. (2017), The Global Refugee Crisis:
Empirical Evidence and Policy Implications for Improving Public Attitudes and
Facilitating Refugee Resettlement. Social Issues and Policy Review, 11: 78-123.
Additional Movies: Human Flow (2017), The Rest (2019), More (2017)
Additional Readings: The Global Refugee Crisis, Region by Region in New York Times
Week 13. Economic Inequality (and Poverty)
Movie: Parasite (2019) PN1997.A12 S627 2008b
https://lbdiscover.ust.hk/bib/991009317019703412
Essential Reading:
Global Inequality Dynamics: New Findings from WID.world (AEA Conference)
Additional Movies: Snowpiercer (2013), Slumdog Millionaire (2008), Elysium (2013)
Additional Readings: World Inequality Report 2018
6You can also read
